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Long gone are the days when only strikers and attacking midfielders were involved in the bulk of their team's attacking plays.
Some of the best teams in recent times have had ball-playing defenders. The modern game necessitates attacks to originate from the back, which means that teams require personnel who are not only adept in their defensive responsibilities but can also contribute significantly up front.
A team's centre-backs do have a presence in the attacking-third during set-piece situations, but the full-backs are the ones who often have more opportunities to showcase the attacking side of their games by making marauding overlapping runs down the flanks, peppering crosses into the opposition box.
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It's been a trope that has become especially popular in the game in recent years, with many successful teams employing this blueprint to yield rich dividends.
In teams managed by German tactician Jurgen Klopp, who is renowned for his high-pressing attacking football, full-backs are an essential attacking component. Marcel Schmelzer and Lukasz Piszczek championed this aspect of the game by tirelessly blazing down the flanks at Borussia Dortmund, something that was subsequently taken up several notches by Trent-Alexander Arnold and Andrew Robertson at Liverpool.
In fact, the marauding Liverpool full-back duo topped the assists tally by defenders in the top-five European leagues last season. The pair conjured up assist numbers that were up there with the ones eked out by the very best attacking triumvirates in the game.
Top five defenders with the most assists in Europe's top-five leagues
Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson have indeed tallied impressive assist numbers in the last few seasons. But let us find out how they fare in the list of defenders with the most assists in Europe's top-five leagues over the years.
#5 Lukasz Piszczek - 49 assists
Trent Alexander-Arnold (27) and Andrew Robertson (33) have some way to go to catch up with Borussia Dortmund veteran Lukasz Piszczek (49).
The 35-year-old Piszczek started out as a centre-forward at Zaglebie Lubin in his native Poland before joining Hertha Berlin in the Bundesliga in the fall of 2007. He played there as an offensive midfielder or on the left wing before an injury to Arne Friedrich forced Piszczek to slot in as a right-back.
Although he lost his place in the starting-XI to the fit-again Friedrich, Piszczek had done enough to impress in the defensive position and was soon back in the lineup as Friedrich was shifted to centre-back.
In the summer of 2010, Borussia Dortmund came calling, and the player hasn't looked back ever since.
Piszczek particularly made his mark as a marauding right-back under Jurgen Klopp. Covering almost as much ground as a box-to-box midfielder, he tirelessly tore down the right-flank and also exhibited great defensive discipline. The Polish player's 15 cumulative league assists in his first two seasons at the club were key in Dortmund winning back-to-back Bundesliga titles.
Long after Klopp's departure, the indefatigable Piszczek remains a key player for the club; he has made at least 19 league appearances in each of his ten seasons in North Rhine Westphalia.
Talking about his longevity despite being into his mid 30s, Piszczek has said that his professionalism, dedication and work ethic have kept him in good stead over the years:
"You have to oil the machine continuously. I don't just pay attention to the sporting side of things, but also the psychological. That's essential in modern football. Younger players are better trained and in great physical condition, but there's still a demand for players like me. I feel more like I'm 29 or 30."
The player, who has been an epitome of sustained excellence and longevity, has no immediate plans of retirement as he signed a contract extension with the club till 2021.
"Lukasz Piszczek is a real leader in our team, and he's also in top shape physically. It was only logical to extend his contract by another year," said Dortmund's sporting director Michael Zorc.
#4 Jordi Alba - 54 assists
After starting his career in the youth ranks of Barcelona, Jordi Alba made his professional debut for Valencia before returning to his boyhood club in 2012 where he has been a regular fixture ever since.
With Alba strutting his stuff down the left-flank and Dani Alves doing so on the other, the two marauding full-backs were an integral part of the club's attacks. Even after the Brazilian left Camp Nou in 2016, Alba has been integral in providing Barcelona's attacking thrusts from the left-flank as his pin-point crosses find the likes of Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez with unerring accuracy.
In fact, after Neymar left Barcelona in the summer of 2017, Jordi Alba thrived as the team's creative outlet down the left-flank, with the player himself admitting as much:
"I now have more space to run into and, sincerely, it is much better for me (without Neymar)."
Alba provided an impressive 18 assists in the next two seasons as Barcelona won back-to-back La Liga titles before being pipped by Real Madrid in 2019-20.
Even though he doesn't score a lot of goals, the 31-year-old has provided assists aplenty for his Barcelona teammates over the years. All but six of Alba's 54 La Liga assists have come while playing for the Blaugrana.
It is even more impressive to note that the injury-prone Alba's creative prowess in the attacking-third has not come at the cost of his defensive responsibilities. He does a more-than-impressive job in tracking back, cutting out the opposition's creative thrusts and then venturing upfield to contribute to his team's attacks.
#3 Roberto Carlo - 55 assists
Roberto Carlos is one of the game's most distinguished left-backs. In a glittering career that spanned more than two decades, the Brazilian, who started out as a striker, shone for a bevvy of clubs in various countries, most notably doing so for European heavyweights Inter Milan and Real Madrid.
The 47-year-old Brazilian could dribble at pace and produce teasing inch-perfect crosses for his attacking colleagues to capitalise on.
Carlos, who was especially renowned for his surging runs down the left side of the pitch and set-piece prowess, is often regarded as one of the finest attacking left-backs to have graced the game.
During a glorious 11-year stint at Real Madrid, Carlos scored 70 goals and made 88 assists - 53 of them in the Liga. Such was his importance to the side that he played at least 31 league games in all but one of his 11 seasons at the club.
Carlos scored a Liga goal in each of his 11 seasons at Real Madrid and produced an assist in all but two seasons. At the peak of his powers in the early 2000s, the left-back scored five goals and provided at least 10 assists apiece in Real Madrid's victorious La Liga campaigns in 2000 and 2002.
#2 Marcelo - 68 assists
The arrival of Marcelo Vieira, more commonly known by his first name Marcelo, at Real Madrid in the summer of 2006 coincided with the decline of Roberto Carlos who played less than 30 La Liga games for the only time that season during his 11-year long career.
Widely recognised as the long-term successor of his illustrious compatriot in Real Madrid's left-back role, Marcelo initially started out as a winger where he impressed with both his attacking and defensive attributes. Under Portuguese manager Jose Mourinho, Marcelo started playing in his preferred position of left-back and hasn't looked back since.
Marcelo has scored a Liga goal or an assist in all but two of 14 seasons at the club as Real Madrid have immensely benefitted from the player's versatility and prowess on the ball.
The 32-year-old's speed, agility, crossing and scoring prowess made him an almost indispensable component of Real Madrid's counterattacks, especially when a certain Cristiano Ronaldo used to feature for the club.
Marcelo provided as many as 25 assists to the Real Madrid all-time top goal-scorer, which is an impressive tally because the Brazilian mostly started in a deep-lying role. The Brazilian's brilliant overlapping runs down the left-flank with Ronaldo often yielded rich dividends for the club as the duo developed an almost telepathic understanding with each other.
After his move to Juventus, Ronaldo acknowledged Marcelo's attributes and said that he could be a valuable addition to the side.
"Marcelo is strong. We open the doors to good players, and Marcelo is one of them."
#1 Dani Alves - 100 assists
Dani Alves, one of the finest right-backs to have graced the game, has played in top-5 league clubs in three different countries - Spain, Italy and France. But it was at Barcelona where the marauding right-back enjoyed his most prolific spell in club football.
Alves has made exactly 100 assists in league football for a top-5 league club, doing so 83 times in the La Liga (with Sevilla and Barcelona), thrice in Serie A (with Juventus) and 14 times in Ligue 1 (Paris St. Germain).
The Brazilian made 67 Liga assists in Barcelona colours, with a certain Lionel Messi (26) being the biggest beneficiary. In fact, it was the most Liga assists made to the diminutive Argentinian by any player before Luiz Suarez surpassed Alves' tally in 2018.
Making brilliant overlapping runs with Messi down the right-flank, Alves' pin-point crosses unerringly found the Barcelona captain who would breach the tighest gaps in opposition defences.
After a hugely successful eight-season stint with the La Liga giants where he won two continental trebles, Alves went to play for Juventus and Paris St. Germain but largely struggled to replicate his exploits at Barcelona.
Messi has warmly spoken about his 'strong' relationship, with Alves both on and off the field:
"We've spent many years together, both on and off the field. Day-to-day, we've got a very strong relationship, which is also of a great help on the field -- it means we understand each other's games very well."
